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Council directs staff to pursue tenant outreach and follow up on landlord survey after review of 2025 results
Summary
After reviewing results from a 2025 landlord and property manager survey (about 800 responses), the Bellingham City Council on April 13 directed staff to pursue tenant‑survey options and to consider reissuing the landlord survey; the council emphasized the need for multiple perspectives on the impacts of recent rental regulations.
Council Member Holly Huffman presented the Planning Committee’s work session summary on the results of the 2025 landlord and property manager survey. Huffman said council staff received roughly 800 responses through the city’s rental‑registration outreach and that the survey aimed to assess how recent ordinances—especially those addressing unfair and excessive fees and the rental registration and safety inspection program—were affecting property managers and landlords.
Committee members discussed the value of collecting tenant perspectives and the practical challenges of reaching tenants citywide. Huffman said staff will research methods to obtain tenant input while respecting privacy and legal constraints, noting that the Rental Advisory Group’s forthcoming materials may help guide the approach.
Council considered two related motions in committee and, in the evening meeting, voted to direct staff to follow up on the landlord/property manager survey at an appropriate time and to explore tenant‑survey options. The motion passed on a recorded vote as shown in the meeting record (7–0).
What the council asked staff to do
Council asked staff to return with options for: a tenant survey process that preserves confidentiality and legal compliance; a timeline and estimated costs for reissuing a landlord/property‑manager survey if appropriate; and recommendations from the Rental Advisory Group when available.
Context and next steps
The council indicated an interest in repeat data collection to measure policy impacts over time and in combining multiple perspectives before making any ordinance adjustments. Staff were directed to report back with feasible methods and an implementation timeline.
Attribution
This article is based on statements by Council Member Holly Huffman and committee discussion recorded in the April 13, 2026 meeting record.
